I get my hands dirty so you don't have to

data visualization + wordpress development + game designer

what I do

Data Visualization

Data are everywhere and have stories to tell. I have experience in every facet of working with data, including cleaning and interviewing data to see what stories it holds, and designing the the most effective way to tell its story. I’ve worked with mapping tools, like Leaflet, and data visualization libraries, like D3.js.

Wordpress Development

Interested in a WordPress website? Depending on your needs and budget, I can set you up with a website powered by a pre-built theme, modify a theme you like to add the features you desire, or create custom themes and plugins to get exactly the functionality you want.

Game Design

Game design is a new and exciting area for me, and I’ve experimented with applying game mechanics to help tell better stories in my journalism work. I’ve designed and developed several games to-date using Javascript and Unity, and I also worked with a startup that “gamified” news feeds.

Data Visualization

I have years of experience designing and creating static and interactive data visualizations. In 2014, I was honored with an Education Writers Award for a project I built exploring vaccination opt-out rates in California kindergartens. I’ve also taught workshops at the UC Berkeley Knight Digital Media Center on data visualization theory, best practices when designing graphics and how to build static and interactive charts using a variety of tools, including InkScape and Google products.

States in Motion

Data Visualization, Motion Charts, EdSource

A D3.js data project explaining the complex story of school funding verses outcomes across the US over the past several decades. Praised by educators and policymakers, the project utilizes custom-built motion charts to help visualize change over time in a number of key datasets.

what I can do for you

Design how to best tell stories found in the data for your audience whether online or in print.

Build interactive maps using tools like Leaflet and QGIS.

Build rich data stories using visualization tools like D3.js.

Ensure data visualizations are in alignment with best practices.

wordpress development

I have several years of experience as a WordPress developer, where I have built a number of custom themes for clients and plugins to enhance the functionality of existing WordPress sites, mainly for newsrooms. I’ve worked with EdSource to build tools into the CMS that allows reporters to create their own charts and graphs. I’ve also built a news application for CalMatters, integrated into their CMS, to track the policy boxing match between California officials and the Trump administration.

Trump v. California

News App, Wordpress, CalMatters

WordPress-integrated news application built for CalMatters to track the push and pull between California officials and the Trump Administration. Includes blog-style index pages, a main project landing page showing updates across topics, and a user-friendly back end to create updates.

Game Design

My foray into game design is still young, but it has been wildly rewarding in terms of learning the steps required to create a viable, entertaining game. I created my first web game in 2013 as a Google-AP Scholar, a game where you try your hand at running for Congress. I’ve experimented with quiz mechanics in two projects related to California ballot measures in 2012 and 2016. And recently, a game I designed and developed for The Hechinger Report about “parachute kids” won a News Headliner Award and is a finalist for a Deadline Club Award for Digital Innovation.

Parachute Kids Game

Web Game, Unity, The Hechinger Report

An award-winning web game built with Unity to accompany a story exploring “parachute kids,” young kids who move to the US from other countries, typically China or Taiwan, with little to no supervision in order to get an American education. Do you have what it takes to get into a prestigious American university?